Nathan Day: Press

Is it 1974 again?
It's impossible not to hear strains of James Taylor in this local singer/songwriter's impressive debut disc - especially the title track, which could have been stolen right out of Sweet Baby James' secret song stash.
Day's voice isn't quite as nasally as Taylor's however.
And his lyrics aren't as syrupy either.
...An unexpected treat among the ballads is the boisterous "Firecracker" which finds Day picking up the pace considerably for a nice contrast.
Overall, Day has crafted a strong collection of 11 smartly arranged and executed acoustic-based folk pop tracks.
Recorded at The Carriage House in Stamford CT, Day, who handles most of the guitar work, is joined by four other musicians to round out the sound. The production is top notch...
... if you enjoy the stylings of 70's singer/songwriters, "Lullaby" is a worthy addition to your collection...

Day's got to be one of the finest lyricists in this area.
"A slow smile reaches her face, a kiss on the cheek and hearts start to race, she looks at you with excited eyes, and you say a little prayer and hopes she falls in love tonight"
Beautiful. Nathan Day will go far.

James Taylor makes a bluegrass album? Well in this case, Nathan Day, someone who sings a lot like James Taylor has piblished an album of songs he composed and put them in a bluegrass motif. The results are great. The centerpiece song, My Hometown, benifits from a strong drive that bluegrass puts on music. The band Nathan put together for this album is very competent and together they produce a pleasant and almost OLD TIMEY sort of bluegrass sound.

The album features 11 original songs and two traditional ones - "Pig In A Pen" and "Bury Me Beneath The Willow" (which by the way was very nicely done). The song "My Hometown" has universal appeal and could have been penned by someone like John Denver or James Taylor. The remaining songs relate to common themes - lost love, traveling, and drinking. Nathan's vocals are pleasant and the backing vocals fit well. Band members include: Bart Holcomb, Roger Wiliams, Mike Barnett, Bob Dick, Dave Dick, Amy Gallatin, and HannaH. The mandolin, dobro, fiddle, and banjo are well done and not obtrusive.

"One More Song" has a country flavor reminds me of Hank Williams' songs. "Comin' Home" is a nice traveling home to see his love song. Some of the other songs appeared on the other three Nathan Day albums and are not stricktly bluegrass although they add variety to the album. Could anything have been done better? It is a very good album but the bluegrasser in me thinks the bluegrass band and Nathan's voice could have been used on some additional traditional tunes. Maybe on the "Second Bluegrass Album"?

Nathan has three previous albums of popular music and some of the songs from those albums appear here as bonus (non-bluegrass) songs. One of those tune, "I'd Rather Be...", Has a Jim Croce flavor. Overall the album is worth your time and a good introduction to a talented young songwriter and singer.